By RICK KARLIN Capitol bureau

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, February 12, 2011

ALBANY -- One of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's strongest allies in his plan to reinvent state government and cut spending has been the Committee to Save New York, a group that includes some of the state's wealthiest and most prominent business leaders.

On Monday, Cuomo and the committee will find their efforts lined up against a pair of new groups that want to counter some of the governor's planned budget cuts to schools and Medicaid.

The labor-backed organizations will be turning up the volume in the push to extend the so-called millionaires tax -- an income tax surcharge on those earning more than $200,000 which is set to expire at year end.

The newly formed Growing Together New York and the Strong Economy for All Coalition, which will include at least one former Senate Democratic adviser, will meet with lawmakers on Monday to make their pitch. "We're going to be working together to make sure we can get our message out," said Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, and coordinator of the new Growing Together organization.

That group, Deutsch said, will comprise about 100 disparate members including faith organizations, environmentalists and unions.

Unlike past years when labor groups vilified governors who propose budget cuts in TV and radio ads, the two coalitions are mindful of Cuomo's popularity in the polls.

Instead, they will be focusing on getting individual lawmakers to fight some of the cuts while pushing for extension of the income tax surcharge, which they contend could generate up to $5 billion annually.

"He's popular in the polls," Deutsch said of Cuomo. "But if you look at the millionaires tax that's almost as popular as he is."

To bolster their argument, they'll release data showing how few people in various legislative districts would be impacted by the surcharge.

Those who earn more than $200,000 fall in the top 5 percent of wage earners.

There's already been a push by some members of the Democratic Assembly, which is arguably the most liberal conference in the Legislature, to extend the income tax surcharge.

More than two dozen lawmakers last month sent a letter to Cuomo, contending that an extension of the existing tax does not violate his pledge against levying new taxes. Moreover, some lawmakers will feel pressure by the powerful education lobby if they don't oppose the cuts.